Read Rosewater and Soda Bread Online
Authors: Marsha Mehran
Rosewater and Soda Bread (37 page)
ALL SOULS' DAY broke like any given Sunday in the West of Ireland: cast in a downpour, a skull of rain hoisting the turf-infused air through the curving streets of hamlets. But for three sisters, standing in a warm kitchen, it was a morning like no other.
“It's my first full official Mass,” Bahar said, standing on the landing of the stairs. “I've only ever sat for service a few minutes at a time,” she explained with a timid smile. “Well, it won't be official-official until I'm baptized next year.”
“You look beautiful,” said Marjan. “Is that a new dress?”
Bahar grabbed the hem of the white wool and lace outfit, tugging it into an awkward but endearing curtsy. “Do you think it's too much?”
Marjan shook her head. “It's perfect.”
“I'd rethink the hat, though,” Layla said, smirking at her sister.
A small pillbox, complete with speckled lace veil, sat at an angle on Bahar's dark head.
“I'm going to let that go this time. Are we ready?” Bahar said and grabbed her coat from the wooden stand.
Marjan and Layla slipped on their jackets and grabbed their umbrellas. Even though the church was only up the street, they would need to drive in order to miss a soaking.
Bahar had her hand on the doorknob when Marjan stopped her. “Wait.” She hurried around the kitchen island and opened the cupboard.
“We're going to be late,” warned Bahar.
“Hold on,” Marjan said, reaching behind a tin of pistachio nougats. She found the bottle, unscrewing the cap as her back was turned to her sisters. She upended it, letting the rosewater, the priceless tears of that queen of blossoms, pool in her cupped hand.
She turned back to Bahar and smiled. “Better late than never,” she said, showering her sister with a brand-new day.
Now that the rose has faded
and the garden is ravaged,
Where shall we find the rose's essence?
In rosewater.
½ cup olive oil
1 cup fresh fenugreek, chopped, or 3 tablespoons dried fenugreek
½ cup fesh dill, chopped
1½ cups fesh parsley, chopped
1 cup fesh cilantro, chopped
½ cup fesh chives, chopped
2 cups fesh spinach, chopped
3 medium onions, chopped
3 teaspoons turmeric
2½ pounds stewing lamb, cut into 1-inch cubes
3 tablespoons lemon juice
4 cups water
Salt
Pepper
4 dried limes
2 16-ounce cans red kidney beans, rinsed
Heat a deep pan with ¼ cup olive oil. Add all herbs and spinach, stirring occasionally over medium heat for 15 minutes. Set aside.
In a large stockpot, heat remaining ¼ cup olive oil, then add onions and turmeric. Stir until golden brown. Add lamb, cooking for approximately 6 to 7 minutes, or until brown. Add cooked herbs, lemon juice, water, salt, and pepper. Let boil, then cover and simmer over low heat for 1 hour.
Add dried limes. Cover and let simmer for 40 minutes. Add kidney beans, cooking for 20 minutes, covered. Using a fork, pierce the limes, releasing their juices into the stew. Remove from heat.
Serve with a side of
polow
, saffron rice.
2½ pounds white potatoes
1½ pounds kale, chopped roughly
⅔ cup buttermilk
⅓ cup heavy cream
2 leeks, chopped finely
2 sticks butter, softened
½ cup chives, chopped finely
Salt
Black pepper
Boil potatoes in their skins, in salted water, for 30 minutes or until tender. Drain and set aside.
Blanch kale in boiling water for 4 minutes. Drain and set aside.
In a small saucepan, heat buttermilk and cream. Add leeks and simmer for 5 minutes, or until soft. Set aside.
Peel potatoes and mash well, adding softened butter. Add milk and leeks, kale, chives, and salt and pepper to taste, mixing well. Eat as much as your luck (and stomach) will hold.
¾ cup unsalted butter, melted, at room temperature
¼ cup corn oil
2⅓ cups confectioners' sugar
5 teaspoons ground cardamom
4 cups chickpea flour, sifted
1 cup shelled pistachios
In a bowl, combine butter, oil, sugar, and cardamom. Slowly add flour, turning the mixture over until dough forms. Place on a clean surface and continue to knead until even.
Roll out dough to ¼-inch thickness. Using a cloverleaf cookie cutter or similar size shape, cut out cookies, approximately 30. Place on a baking sheet lined with waxed paper and leave to set for 30 minutes. Add one pistachio to each cookie center.
Preheat oven to 300°F. Bake cookies for 10 minutes, or until slightly golden. Remove and leave to cool. Enjoy with a cup of sweet berga-mot tea.
Salted pumpkin seeds
Salted sunflower seeds
Roasted cashews
Roasted peanuts, salty
Roasted hazelnuts
Roasted almonds, salty
Roasted pistachios, unshelled
Dried apricots, chopped roughly
Dried peaches, chopped roughly
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Toss to mix. Pass around to all guests and sundry in an act of true generosity.
Vanilla ice cream
3 tablespoons rosewater
Pistachios, shelled and chopped
Scoop three large balls of vanilla ice cream into a serving dish. Drizzle with rosewater and sprinkle with a handful of pistachios. Eat barefooted, sitting in a patch of clover leaves.
7 eggs
1 teaspoon cardamom
1 teaspoon cumin
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ cup fresh chives, chopped
1 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1 cup fesh parsley, chopped
1 cup fesh dill, chopped
1 stick unsalted butter
Whisk eggs in a bowl. Add cardamom, cumin, salt, pepper, flour, and baking powder. Whisk until well mixed. Add all herbs. Mix once more.
Heat butter in a medium-size, deep frying pan. Pour in egg and herb mixture, immediately lower heat, and cover. Cook for 20 minutes, or until
kuku
solidifies. Replace the lid with a large plate or platter, making sure it covers the pan completely. Flip the
kuku
over and slide it back into the pan. Cook the other side for 20 minutes on low heat. Eat with yogurt and cucumber dip, feeding the lover lying at your feet.